Apple, the company that effectively killed the netbook era more than a decade ago, might be preparing to bring it back - in its own meticulously designed way.

According to industry reports, the company is developing a low-cost MacBook, rumored to debut in 2026 with a starting price near $599 — far below its current entry-level MacBook Air M3 ($1,099). The move would mark a stunning strategic shift for Apple, which has long resisted the budget hardware market in favor of premium pricing and long-term brand equity.

“Apple doesn’t usually chase the bottom,” said Ben Bajarin, CEO of Creative Strategies. “But if this happens, it’s not about competing with Chromebooks — it’s about owning the next wave of affordable computing.”

From Netbooks to iPads: The Cycle Turns

In the late 2000s, netbooks — small, inexpensive laptops running Windows — briefly redefined mobile computing. Then came the iPad. Steve Jobs famously mocked netbooks as “cheap laptops that aren’t better at anything,” effectively ending their run.

But 15 years later, the market conditions look eerily familiar:

• Global PC shipments have fallen for three consecutive quarters.

• Chromebook adoption in education remains strong but stagnant.

• AI-powered productivity tools now demand constant connectivity and moderate computing power, not brute-force specs.

That’s the environment Apple appears ready to exploit — not by reviving the netbook’s limitations, but by refining its purpose.

What We Know (and Don’t) About Apple’s Budget MacBook

According to supply chain sources cited by Digitimes Asia, the new machine will feature an entirely new chassis, a smaller display, and an iPhone-derived A-series chip, possibly a customized version of the A19.

The device reportedly won’t carry the “Air” or “Pro” branding — signaling a new line entirely. Early prototypes hint at recycled aluminum or composite materials rather than the plastic casings typical of low-cost competitors.

Apple could market the device toward students, emerging markets, and AI-based cloud computing users, where lightweight performance and all-day battery life outweigh raw power.

“Apple has watched the education sector slip to Google for years,” said Carolina Milanesi, principal analyst at Creative Strategies. “A $599 MacBook would be a direct challenge to Chromebooks and low-end Windows machines — and it would dominate.”

The Silicon Advantage

Building the device around Apple’s mobile silicon rather than Mac-grade M-series chips could cut costs dramatically while maintaining integration with macOS and iCloud.

The rumored A19-based design would enable the laptop to run macOS with the efficiency of an iPad, eliminating cooling fans and extending battery life beyond 20 hours. Apple’s unified architecture could also make the device ideal for AI offloading, with the Neural Engine handling local tasks like transcription, image recognition, and real-time translation.

“This is the Apple equivalent of a netbook,” said Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. “Except it will be thinner, faster, and ten times better built.”

A Calculated Play for Scale

For Apple, which has rarely priced anything below the $700 mark, the economics are bold. A $599 MacBook would open the company to a massive volume market it has long ignored.

It could also expand Apple’s installed base for AI services and Apple One subscriptions, feeding the company’s fastest-growing revenue segment: software and cloud.

In essence, Apple wouldn’t just be selling a laptop — it would be selling a gateway into its digital ecosystem at scale.

“Apple’s low-end hardware is never about hardware,” Milanesi added. “It’s about lifetime monetization.”

What Could Go Wrong

Still, some analysts warn that a cheaper MacBook risks cannibalizing the iPad lineup, particularly the iPad Air and base models.

It also raises questions about macOS fragmentation if Apple begins deploying mobile-class processors across new product categories. Developers may face compatibility challenges between M-series and A-series architecture — unless Apple unifies them under the hood.

“If this laptop runs macOS, iPadOS, or something in between, Apple has to clarify that fast,” said Patrick Moorhead, CEO of Moor Insights & Strategy. “Otherwise, it could confuse both markets.”

The Takeaway

Apple killed the netbook by convincing the world that mobility needed elegance. Now, with cloud computing, AI workflows, and consumer fatigue over $2,000 laptops, the market may be ready for a new class of affordable sophistication.

If the rumors are true, the “cheap MacBook” won’t be a throwback — it’ll be a reset.

Apple may not resurrect the netbook. It might simply reinvent it in aluminum and call it the future.